Manufacturing leather.



J. T. SMITH.

MANUFACTURING LEATHER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 18, 1910.

Patented Sept 6,1910.

INVENTOR WITH/E8858 Newark, in the county of Essex and UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

cums '1. SMITH, or NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

MANUFACTURING LEATHER.

Specification of Letters l'ateat.

Application filed January 18, 1910.

Serial No. 538,668.

' I'nethod shown and escribed in my pr1or application, Serial No. 512,312, filed August 11, 1909, or a modification thereof herein described.

The objects of the present invention are to save labor and time 1n japanning or otherwise finishin leather; to obviate the necessity for tacking the leather upon a japanning frame; to prevent waste ue to perforating the edges of the leather; to secure a firm rigid support for the leather during the finishing operations; to thus secure a more perfect japanning or other finishing of the leather; to firmly secure the leather to the surface on which it is set-out in its stretched condition, and to obtain other advantages and results as may be brought out in the following description.

Referrin to the accompan ing drawings, in which li e numerals of re erence indicate corresponding parts in each of the several figures, Figure 1 is an end edge view of a bed or support upon which the first half or portion of a piece of leather is being set-outon a setting-out board according to my invention, and Fig. 2 is'a similar view of the last half or portion of the leather being set-out; Fig. 3 s lOWS in Ian the setting-out board with the leather ried thereon as set-out and adhering thereto, and ready for japannin or other finishing while still set-out and ad ering to the board, and Fig. 4: is an elevation of the same.

In said drawin 10 indicates a flat smooth bed of suita le hardness and solidity to serve as a sup board 12 while the leather 13 is being set-" port for the setting-out out thereon. In doing this the setting-out bdar'dis first laid upon the bed 10, as shown in Fig. 1, with one of its longer edges substantially even with the front edge of said bed, said board being referably thin and flat with smooth hard faces upon which the leather can be set-out,

opposite sides or as fully described in my prior application the leather 13 is first set-out upon the upper side of the board 12, the other half hanging down between the operator and the table as shown in Fig. 1. Then the setting-out board 12 is turnedover and the other half of the leather set-out on its op osite side or face, as shown in Fig. 2, the eather being thus bent or doubled-over one edge of Patented Sept. 6, 1910.. i

above referred to. Preferably one-half of the setting-out board. This setting-out of the leather upon the board12 leaves it adhering thereto in a stretched condition, and

by my'improved process set forth in the nor applicatlon above referred to the eather is dried with its relation to the board undisturbed, that is .to say, while still upon the board and adherin thereto as set-out. The leather is then rea y for japanning, or any of the other similar finishing processes known to the trade, it being understood that my present invention relates to all such finishing recesses and that I mean to include them 1 even though I say for definiteness and sim' licity japanning only.

It wil be understood that in finishing leather heretofore in the art, the leather, usually in pieces the full size of the hide, has been secured in a rectangular japanning frame by means of tacking the edges thereto where they overlapped, and securing them elsewhere by strings. In this position, the various coatings have been applied in turn to the leather and worked in as perfectly and evenly as possible with the leather in such loose yielding condition. Then the frame with the leather on it has beenstood up to dry such coatings.

By my im roved rocess I apan or otherwise similar y finis the leather while still adhering to, the board 12 upon which it has been set-out and dried, and not until such finishing process is completed and the leather a ain dried, is itremoved from or pulled o of the setting-out board 12. The great advantages of doing this are that the various coatin employed in finishing are applied to the eather while it is rigidly held in position by the setting-out boar and the advantage of this is twofold, first the coatings can be applied with great facility because the leather is thus firmly and rigidly held, and second the coatings are applied more perfect and higher grade product is obtained.

During the japanning or other finishing of the leather while still set-out upon and adhering to the-setting-out board, said setting-out board may be supported or held in any convenient manner, but preferably so that the entire surface of the leather shall be accessible to the workman and yet prevented from coming into contact with anything that would impair or damage the and labor of handling the leather is effected by my improved process, besides the advantages above recited.

In case any kinds of leather, because of the thickness, weight or other peculiar properties of the leather, should not adhere to the setting-out board sufiiciently to withstand handling or drying or the finishing processes, a little adhesive, such as paste or the like, can be used between the settin out board and iece of leather which is setout thereon. 8f course such adhesive, if necessary at all, should not be strong enough to prevent ultimate removal of the leather from the setting-out board without damage, and it is not likely that it would ever be necessary to use any adhesive for the entire surface of the piece of leather, but only along the margins or edges of the side of the leather next to the setting-out board.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is 1.. The hereindescribed method of treating leather, which consists in setting-out the leather upon a setting-out surface while wet, thereby causing adhesion of the leather to said surface in a stretched condition, drying said leather while thus set-out upon and adhering to said surface, and japanning or otherwise finishing the leather while so dried and set-out upon and adhering to said setting-out surface.

.2. The hereindescribed method of treating leather, which consists in placing a thin fiat board upon a support, setting-out the leather upon said board while wet, thereby causing adhesion of the leather to said board in a stretched condition, removing said board from said support with the leather still set.- out thereon, drying said leather while thus set-out on and adhering to said board, and japanning or otherwise finishing the leather while so dried and set-out upon and adhering to said setting-out board.

3. The hereindescribed method of treating leather, consisting in setting-out one portion of a wet piece of leather upon one side or face of a setting-out board and another portion of said piece of leather upon another side or face of said board, the leather being bent over the edge between said sides or faces, thereby causing adhesion of the leather to said board in a stretched condition, drying said leather while thus set-out upon and adhering to said surface, and japanning or otherwise finishing the leather while so dried and set-out upon and adhering to said setting-out boar 4. The hereindescribed method of treating leather, which consists in setting-out the leather upon a setting-out surface while wet and with an adhesive between said leather and surface, thereby causing adhesion of the leather to said surface in a stretched condition, and drying said leather while thus setout upon and adhering to said surface until it will retain said stretched condition when removed from the setting-out surface.

5. The hereindescribed method of treating leather, which consists in placing a thin flat board upon a support, setting-out the leather upon said board while wet and with an adhesive between said leather and board, there by causing adhesion of the leather to said board in a stretched condition, removing said board from said support with the leather still set-out thereon, and drying said leather while thus set-out and adhering to said board until it will retain said stretched condition when removed from the board.

(3. The hereindescribed method of treating leather, consisting in setting-out one'port-ion of a Wet piece of leather upon one side or face of a setting-out board and another portion of said piece of leather upon another side or face of said board, with an adhesive between said leather and board and the leather bent over the edge between said sides or faces, thereby causing adhesion of the leather to said board in a stretched condition, and drying said leather while thus set-outupon and adhering to said surface until it will retain said stretched condition when removed from the board.

7 The hereindescribed method of treating leather, which consists in setting-out the leather upon a setting-out surface while wet and with an adhesive between said leather and surface, thereby causing adhesion of the leather to said surface in a stretched condition, drying said leather while thus set-out upon and adhering to said surface and japanning or otherwise finishing the leather while so dried and set-out upon and adhering to said setting-outsurface.

8. The hereindescribed method of treating leather, which consists in placing a thin flat board upon a support, setting out the leather upon sa1d board while wet and with an adhesive between said leather and board, thereby causing adhesion of the leather to, said board in a stretched condition, removing said board from said support with the leather still set-out thereon, dryin 7 said leather while thus set-out on and ad ering to said board, and japanning or otherwise finishing the leather while so dried and set-- out upon and adhering to said setting-out board. 1

9. The hereindescribed method of treating leather,.consisting in setting-out one portion of a wet piece of leather upon one side or face of a setting-out board and another portion of said piece of leather upon another side or face of said. board, with an adhesive between said leather and board and the leather bent over the edge between said sides or faces, thereby causing adhesion of the leather to said board in a stretched condi- JAMES T. SMITH.

In the presence of RUssELL M. EVERETT, FRANCES E. BLODGETT. 

